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Let me start off by saying that my overall gastric sleeve experience with Dr. Garcia in Tijuana has been positive. I just wanted to post some of my personal experiences with this doctor, about the hospital, and about my surgery. I would be happy to answer any questions anyone has.
I booked my package through alighterme.com/obesitysolutionsinternational.com. I paid about $5000.00 and worked with both Sandy and Linda. When I had questions or concerns it usually took a few hours for one of the coordinators to respond but they always got back to me within 24 hours. My package included transportation to/from the Marriott Tijuana, three nights hotel stay, two night Mi Doctor Hospital stay, pre-op/post op testing, and surgery. This was an all inclusive price and the only additional expenses I had were tipping and meals for my husband. I put down a $500.00 deposit on my credit card within a couple of days of booking my surgery date and paid the balance at the hospital with a cashiers check the day of my surgery.
About 48 hours before my departure Samuel, the driver, called to confirm my flight times. He gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him when our flight arrived. Once we got to the San Diego airport we gave Samuel a call and he met us right outside the baggage claim area. I was expecting to see a company van but instead Samuel was driving and older four door escort type vehicle with a cracked windshield. When I had talked to the coordinators 2-3 weeks before they did mention that the company van was in the shop but I had expected it would have been repaired by the time I got there. The car was clean but the seats were stained, the windshield was cracked, and it was at least 10-15 years old. Samuel was very professional and he made the 20 min car ride very pleasant. He pointed out interesting things along the way and went out of his way to make us feel relaxed. He took us the Marriott and actually helped us check in. He let us know that the onsite facilitator, Rosie, would call us later that evening. Rosie called and stopped by our room once we had a chance to check in. She was very professional and friendly as well. She gave me some paperwork and let me know the amenities of the hotel. We were told to take the hotel shuttle to the hospital at 6:50 AM the next morning to the hospital. She also let me know that I was to have nothing to eat or drink after 10 PM. The hotel is nice, the bed is comfortable, there are a few (3-4) english speaking channels, and free wi-fi. They also offer 3 bowls of broth, 2 bottles of water, and 2 ice pops (watermelon or cantaloupe) each day during your stay for free. You can get this 24 hours a day at their onsite restaurant or through room service. Also, if you are traveling with someone they get a 15% discount on any of their food. The prices aren't unreasonable at about $9-$15 per meal. The only problem I had at the hotel is that they do not offer any free calls. There is a charge even if the number is toll free or local. This is not really unexpected but each of the employees of obesitysoulutions/alighterme told us to give them a call anytime. Unless you go to the front desk and provided them with a credit card that really isn't possible.
We took the hotel shuttle from the Marriott to the Mi Doctor Hospital in the morning. It was about a 10-15 minute ride from the Marriott. The hospital is located in a run down area of town but at no time did I feel unsafe. The hospital is just what you see online. It was clean and comfortable. Once at the hospital you are checked into your room. The room was a nice size and had free wi fi. There is a bar/party rental location next to the hospital. Half of the hospital rooms have to listen to loud music late into the night. I was lucky and got one of the quiet rooms not facing the bar.
Once I filled out some paperwork the pre op tests began. Blood is drawn, you are weighed, and they preform an ekg. Once this is done you just wait for your turn in your room. The staff at the hospital was nice and...somewhat attentive. I was under the impression that most of the staff would speak english. That was not the case at all. I would guess that only a couple of people that I saw during my two day stay spoke english. The nursing staff were nice but it was difficult to communicate some of my questions or concerns to them. They do know several key words but anything besides asking for pain meds could easily be misunderstood. The care you receive is a little different than what you get in the US. They only check your vitals about once a day. The IV's are also not electronic so if your IV was empty you had to go to the front desk to let them know you needed a new bottle. While at the hospital I spoke to two other Doctors, in addition to Dr. Garcia, before and after my surgery. All three doctors spoke english and I felt answered all of my questions. Dr. Garcia was nice enough and with the few minutes I spent with him I did feel comfortable with him preforming my VSG surgery.
The hospital provides a telephone for you to call your friends and family back in the US free of charge. There is a cafeteria or more like a small café at the hospital. My husband said the food was pretty good. The café is only open until 4 pm and is closed on Sundays.
After surgery you are encouraged to walk. This really seems to help with the nausea and the gas pain. There isn't much of a hallway to walk and at times it gets pretty crowded with all of the patients walking the hallway night and day. It was a good way to meet you fellow surgery mates.
Surgery is different for everyone but for me I woke up very nauseous and with some shoulder pain. The nurses were right on top of it and gave me meds for the pain and something for the nausea right away. The nausea only lasted a few hours and the gas pain, for the most part, subsided by day two. I did walk a lot and I really do think that helps. The drain tube removal wasn't bad at all. I think having the bandages changed hurt worse than the drain removal. Before checking out you are provided with a bag or meds, some instructions, and other goodies (Gatorade, bottled water, bandages, tape). The hotel shuttle picks you up from the hospital and takes you back to the Marriott.
I felt great and like could have flown home on day four without any problems. Because our flights were already booked we walked to the Wal-Mart near Marriott. The Wal-Mart is less than a mile from hotel and is located in a large shopping area with some other stores and restaurants. We did some shopping and went back to the hotel.
Samuel, the driver, was supposed to call us to schedule the ride back over the border. We had not heard from him by 8:30 PM so we went to the front desk to have them try and reach him. We were unable to call from our room because the phone had not been set up to make phone calls. The front desk was unable to reach Samuel with either of his cell phone numbers. We also had them try to call Melissa and Rosie the onsite facilitators without any luck. We tried to call the 800 number for obesitysoulutionsinterational and no answer. I guess we were lucky and Samuel finally called our room about 9:30 PM to let us know we were to meet him in the lobby at 5:30 AM for our flight. Samuel picked us up at the hotel in a very old Volvo. It was almost comical because every time we hit a speed bump the glove compartment would fly open. Again, this was a very old car that obviously was in need of some repairs. The border crossing was pretty easy. Once we waited in line and showed our passports we were on our way to the airport.
I have feel great since I have been home and am happy with the decision that I made to have my surgery in Mexico. Sorry this posting is so long but this is the kind of stuff that I wanted to know before I went. Even with some of the problems I would still go back and have this done. I would even recommend this company/hospital to friends and family. I would just let them know what to expect ahead of time. Hope this helps!
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