HI there .... How long have you been on the list for Halifax so far? 

Spoke to my internal med Dr... he is trying to contact Halifax about my spot in the list.. I told him they probably won't move me along faster on the list but it is worth a shot.   He is not opposed  to me going to Mexico but says he does not have enough information about the Dr's there to make a judgment call yet.  I respect his opinion and hopefully he can help me...of course I  would rather have it done in Halifax......He said that the Dr's here will not refuse to see me......if I do go to Mexico...with him on my side I feel this is going to happen one way or another .YAHOO!  It may just take a little longer then I wanted but at east it is not 10-15 years.   

It sounds like you had a great experience!   I'm the person who Island Momma mentioned in her post above.  I did have my sleeve on May 10th and was going to go with Dr. Kelly, but ended up going with Dr. Ponce De Leon instead.  Saturday was my 6 month mark,  I'm down 88 lbs and feeling great!    Please keep us updated on how you're doing, and take care!

Thank you.Wow she has done really well! I'm glad for anyone who has picked Dr. Kelly as their surgeon. He is definitely the right choice.

I hope to be on the losers bench soon!

I flew to San Diego on Nov.3rd. We had flight delays so only arrived at 8 pm. Nov.4th we took a 2 hour trolley drive of SD. It was fantastic. Dr. Kelly's driver picked us up at the hotel at 3 pm. she took us on a short tour of the area around the hospital in TJ and then I was admitted to The Florence Health Center. My friend had supper at the cafeteria and I ate my broth and jello. Dr. Kelly visited that evening(Sunday). Omar also visited us and arranged to pick up my friend and the other patients companion to breakfast the next day.

Early Monday morning I got up and showered.A chest X-ray was done. The cardiologist came in and did an exam and an EKG The nurse started my IV  on the first try. Blood work was done.They put support stocking on my legs. My surgery was at 1:30 pm. All went well. I did have a drain. No major pain. Some gas but minimal. I did use GasX. Dr. Kelly's regime is pain medication, nausea meds, and a stomach med every 4 to 6 hours by your IV. I did experience a bit of nausea when the meds were about to wear off. I was walking the halls by evening. I saw Dr. Kelly a couple of times that day.Omar also came by to take our companions to supper.

I have to now say how wonderful everyone at the hospital was. The nurses and Doctor's were top notch. There were 2 nurses and one doctor on per shift. There were only 2 patients!! The doctor stayed on our wing the whole shift. At least one nurse spoke perfect English per. shift. All the Dr.'s spoke English.

On Tuesday my support stocking came off. I was able to shower and then they changed my incision dressings.I had 4 small incisions.Elena, Dr. Kelly's assistant came in with my meds for the hotel and home, juice and diet instructions. The rest of the day I spent walking, visiting my fellow sleever,watched a bit of TV and having one short rest.Dr. Kelly came by in the evening with his son to visit us and check our charts.

On Wednesday after my shower Dr. Kelly came in and removed my drain. My IV was taken out. My dressings were removed and we were discharged. Omar drove us to a newer hospital where we met Dr. Kelly and our leak tests were done. We both passed with flying colors but I have to admit that the small amt. of fluid you have drink is horrible tasting.

We were then off to the Lucerne Hotel. It is a beautiful hotel. We finally got to eat some broth and a homemade popsicle after 2 days on ice chips. Don't get me wrong neither of us were hungry those 2 days! Dr. Kelly came to visit us and gave us DVD's of our surgery's. He made sure he answered any questions we had. Omar then took us out sight seeing and to some flea markets and to Revolution Ave. Great silver prices. We then went to a seafood restaurant for supper. The broth was fantastic.Then back to the hotel to relax and sleep.

On Thursday we relaxed around the pool. Dr. Kelly came to my room again to make sure all my questions we answered.He is a great Doctor. Omar picked us up at 3 pm. We went to Costco purely for curiosity sake and then to supper.

I was discharged on Friday and driven to the airport. No problems on the flight home.I of course  made sure my clothing was comfortable.Note to anyone flying out of San Diego. None of the restaurants at the airport have soup so take your own packages of broth.

I cannot say enough great things about Dr. Kelly. He is so caring,comforting, friendly and down to earth besides being a fantastic doctor.His other patient that was done the same day I was felt the same.My friend who accompanied me is a nurse and she was very impressed.

So that was my wonderful Mexico experience. I hope it helps anyone who is trying to decide. This is day one at home and I feel fine. Feel free to ask any questions.