Mexicali Bariatric Center Bariatric Center

Thank you Dr. Wilhelmy for changing my life! As I write this it has been a little over 3 years that I had my surgery done. My life has changed completely that I still do not recognize the person that I am now! I lost 157 lbs and have opened up to so many more things that I had before in my life.

Dr Wilhelmy was amazing! His bed side manners are like no other, he is kind, caring, and genuinely concerned. From the very first moment I had contact with Mexicali Bariatrics , I knew it was the place for me. From Dr Wilhelmy, Dr Campos, Nina, Carla, Yolanda, and to Ernesto the driver, the service and care was excellent!

I'm the other half of pstowe's review. The "center" where Dr. Wilhelmy works is actually in a hospital (Almater Hospital). It is in Mexicali, Mexico. The hospital is about two miles from the border. I understand the knee-jerk reaction is "that's crazy...Mexico?" But the reality is the hospital is great. You'd be hard pressed to find one that is better in the U.S. There was one nurse for about every six patients in the bariatric wing of the hospital. Most of the doctors and nurses were fluent in English. Dr. Wilhelmy and his team were outstanding. The care was excellent as far as I'm concerned and I've already recommended them to my aunt.

My husband and I both were sleeved by Dr. Wilhelmy on September 1, 2014. We were so well taken care of by him and the entire Mexicali Bariatric team. Being able to stay in a clean hospital 3 nights was very important to us as we were recovering. All three doctors, Dr. Rodolfo Wilhelmy, Dr. David Beltran, and Dr. Edgar Campos checked on us at least twice daily. The nursing staff was very caring and helpful. Our experience was very comfortable and very safe. I look forward to reporting our successful results throughout the years.

I am retired and live part of the year in Baja Mexico. I chose to have my surgery done at Almater Hospital with Dr. Wilhelmy and spend more for better care. I have been to clinics and smaller hospitals while here in Mexico and I did not want my surgery to take place in one of them. I wanted a proper hospital with all the credentials and specialist on site. I wanted to be in a safe place from the get go and recover there too. I did not want to recover at a hotel either. I was prepared to pay more because having worked 25 years in the medical field I know what can go wrong if you do not follow protocol. While it is true that certain things are done differently than in the US and I was prepared for that I can say that the care that I got from the staff at Almater hospital and all the doctors and staff at Mexicali Bariatric Center was one of the best in my life. The nurses and doctors are attentive and caring. I saw Dr. Wilhelmy daily and Dr. Beltran and Dr Campos visited me daily as well. Everything I had read about them was true! I am 62 years young and want to live much longer. Do not sell yourself short and go with the best! You deserve it!

Sometime in the 1970’s my aunt was one of the first to have weight loss surgery and she was never quite healthy again. I had ruled out WLS as a solution, even though my weight was ever climbing and my health was starting to falter. Then my husband met a guy who used to weigh over 400 pounds but was now just this skinny guy. He told us how far the medical science behind WLS has matured and changed. Many, many hours of research later and *I DECIDED TO DO IT*. Screw my fears and all the bull hurdles that my insurance company wanted to put in my way. Screw it all. So, within two weeks I found the best place in Mexico and signed myself up, just like that.

The people and place I found, was Dr. Ungson along with all the rest of the team at Mexicali Bariatric Center. I decided I wanted a DS performed on me because I knew I needed the malabsorbtion to be successful. They did a terrific job. They really knew what they were doing. It make sense, they have helped many, many people through weight loss surgeries, but I feel like they have done an especially wonderful job tuning the whole experience to be the best possible under the circumstances.

Although I did not need it, I really liked that my recovery was in a real hospital. And it was a real hospital, with all the staff and equipment needed to handle anything. It was also the cleanest hospital I have ever been in, you couldn’t take a walk without dodging 3 or 4 cleaning people. The few times I needed to press my call button, it took them less than a minute to respond. Generally, the staff were so on top of things that I had what I needed before I needed it.

One place where I didn’t follow their recommendations was that I refused to have my husband bunk on the sofa in my hospital room and so he returned to the hotel every night around 8 pm. I’m very happy we did this. With the staff so responsive, I did not need his help at night. This mean he was fresh and cheerful at the end of the week, unlike many of supporters that stayed in the room. He said the food at the hotel was very good.

Dr. Ungson was an absolute privilege to meet. He has the best bed side manner I’ve ever experienced. It is very clear that he cares deeply and understands. All the doctors and staff were terrific to deal with. Above all else, they were super competent. I fully recommend them. I would pick Mexicali Bariatric Center again without a seconds thought.

It was an odd leap of faith to grab ownership of my health this way. We are so used to waiting for permission from our insurance company and/or doctors. Three months ago I was beaten. I had no hope of ever really losing weight or keeping it off. Now it is just a matter of time. I am empowered and that has made all the difference.

I have recently had a Gastric Sleeve surgery on August 20th, 2014 by the Mexicali Bariatric Centre (Almater Hospital). Before all this started I have struggled with weigh issues for a very long time. Now at 5 my health has started to go down hill, with High Blood Pressure, osteoarthritis, boarder line diabetic and so on.....It was time for a change. I researched extensively about this procedure and with help from a friend that have the same procedure done. I new in my heart and sole that this was for me. No regrets.
Now about the facility and people. To start I had long email conversation with Nina, Patient Coordinator, before I booked the date and lots more after. The time has come to leave to Mexicali for my life changing adventure.
Ernesto, our driver picked us up on August 19th and drove us 90 min to the Almater Hospital where we were met by Yolanda and Calra who looked after us for test we need to do. They did not leave our side ever. That was comforting. Then we had our pre op meeting. We met with Dr. Ungson, Dr. Campos. They discussed the procedure with us answering any and all questions with knowledge & compassion. Then we were off to the Hotel Lucerna and it was beautiful. We had instructions that for our supper we could eat anything and also have 2 margarita's (only 2 though). Food and accommodation was fabulous!
Ernesto picked us up at the hotel at 6:45 am to take us back to the hospital for surgery. Dr. Ungson, Dr. Campos, Dr. Beltran and Dr. Gutierrez(Anesthesiologist) all come to visit and explained thing again in case we had anymore questions. Again, so professional and so compassionate. I was so ready.
Back to my room after surgery and everyone can to visit again......in about 2 hours I was up walking around. The next day started on liquids and went from there ...all good. Went home August 23rd.

Just like to say that the Mexicali Bariatric Centre and Almater Hospital wing is one of the cleanest, well maintained medical facility I have ever been to. The staff were dressed professional, and very pleasant. I can not say enough about the Mexicali Bariactric Centre, just that I was blessed to be able to go thought this life changing experience with the most knowledgeable, warmth, loving and compassionate people. Now they have started my journey and it is my job to continue it.

Ruth Fortna
Hanna, Alberta, Canada

Had surgery and wanted to encourage anyone on the fence of going to him to not hesitate any longer, I had a positively great experience and would recommend Dr. Wlhelmy and Mexicali Bariatric Center to anyone considering surgery in Mexico. There really are incredibly good surgeons in Mexico and great facilities with high standards. Almater Hospital is one of these places. You will be well taken care and not regret going to Dr. Wilhelmy for surgery for a single minute. Really the entire staff at Mexicali Bariatric Center took very good care of my and my husband. We have been telling everyone about our experience and how impressed we were with everything. Thank you everyone from the bottom of heart for making this such a good beginning to my new life.

I recently had a duodenal switch and partial gastric sleeve surgery performed by the Mexicali Bariatric Center at Almater Hospital in Mexicali, Mexico. Prior to making such a life-changing decision, I researched extensively about the procedures and specialized service providers before selecting Dr. Ungson and the Mexicali Bariatric Center team. I had many questions and worries about my particular health condition and the procedures involved, but Dr. Ungson and the MBC team answered my concerns, and their professionalism was the deciding factor in my choice.
From the moment I was picked-up at the airport by Ernesto Arias, and driven to Mexicali, and warmly received by Carla, Nina and Yolanda, I became even more confident that I had made the right choice. Even more so after meeting the surgical team led by Dr. Ungson with Drs. Beltran and Dr. Campos. In my pre-op meeting, they listened to my concerns, answered my questions and consequently adjusted the surgery to my particular needs. They explained clearly and concisely every step of the surgery, and what I could expect and feel during my post-op recovery. They left no question unanswered or stone unturned. The post-operative care was just as thorough, professional and caring. The surgeons visited me frequently, and followed my post-op recovery very closely. Together with the patient care staff, they made sure that my every need was met, and the nursing staff was very attentive and professional.
The Almater Hospital and the Mexicali Bariatric Center wing are one of the cleanest, most modern and well-maintained medical facilities I have ever been to. The facility is as good as or better than most hospitals I have seen in the United States and elsewhere. I was thoroughly impressed with the care and facilities of MBC, but even more so with the warm and loving people who make it an extraordinary hospital. The MBC is one of the most well qualified, kind and caring group of medical professionals that I have ever known. I want to thank all those involved for making my experience there life changing indeed.

I had a gastric sleeve done by Dr. Wilhelmy. He seemed like a very nice man. I only saw him once very briefly before surgery when we were introduced and once a few days after the surgery when he came to check on me. I have no complaints about the surgery though as I had no complications. There were 2 other doctors that both came daily to see me. They were very encouraging and positive and answered any questions I had. Everyone was very helpful and thorough with everything it was very reassuring.