Mexicali Bariatric Center Bariatric Center
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I had my surgery with Dr. Alberto Aceves on July 17, 2010. It was everything I'd expected and more. From picking my sister and I up at the hotel we stayed overnight in until we were dropped back off at the airport in San Diego, the whole process was graceful and professional. You were never left to wonder what happens next. It was very well cordinated and everything went smoothly. Dr. Aceves himself and his staff were compassionate and informative. His assistant Dr. Campos was wonderful as well. The bedside manner of everyone was excellent. Some of the nurses didnt speak English but you had a list of translations and I always felt safe. The hospital was sooo clean!
Overall I had a great experience and would definately recommend surgery with Dr. A to anyone!
I'm almost two weeks out and I am recovering well.
I can't think of one negative experience I had in Mexico! Thank God!!!!!!! :-)
I would highly recommend Dr. Aceves. My husband & I both had a VSG done on the same day. Our surgeries and experience with Dr. Aceves was EXCELLENT. I can't say enough about him and his staff (most of whom speak excellent English). We sent numerous e-mails before our surgery (plus phone calls), all of which were answered in detail.
His staff kept us informed at all times about what was going to happen, when, and what we needed to be doing. We felt we were in great, caring hands. They have emailed us after surgery to check on us & Dr. Campos (nutritionist) even called last week.
Dr. Aceves is very professional and takes time for all his patients. I believe he is a highly skilled surgeon (my opinion), because of our surgeries, his credentials and the fact that none of his patients had any complications while we were there. I've never heard anything negative, although I know there is always a small percentage of risk & problems.
Our surgery was such a breeze & I still can't believe how easy & efficient it all was. They have this down to a fine art! Dr. Aceves truly cares about his profession and the people he treats. He was in & out of our rooms several times a day checking on us.
On a scale of 1-10, Dr. Aceves is a 10+.
I was impressed with Dr. Ungson from the start. His coordinator Luz, who normally deals with his patients, just had a baby boy so when I started emailing with questions, he answered all of them promptly. He basically organized everything for me from his end. I got my date quickly, sent in my deposit and in less than two weeks I was off to Hermosillo MX.
His two beautiful daughters met me at the airport and quickly got me settled in at the Colonial Hotel. Dr. Ungson and Luz stayed in contact with me on the phone, giving me all the instructions I needed. I was supposed to have labs drawn the day I arrived but because I hadn't fasted, I had to wait until the next day which was the day of my surgery. Early the next morning, I checked into CIMA Hospital and I was set up for surgery. The hospital is beautiful, spotless and there are very few patients, atleast when I was there. It's a fully equipt private facility, (not a clinic!)
Anyhoo, Dr. Ungson and his team individually introduced themselves to me, telling me what their role would be in the surgery. I was excited and scared to death at the same time! He could tell that I was nervous and in turn, he was very fatherly and reassuring. He explained, once again, how my revision was going to be performed and insisted that they'd all take good care of me. I was impressed that a world class surgeon could be so warm and nurturing.
I think the worst experience was when the surgical nurses were trying to start my IV. My veins are naughty and roll normally but I was a bit dehydrated, so it took seven sticks to get it going! They took all my labs and shortly after that, I was fitted with surgical stockings, given a shot of pure relaxation then I was wheeled into the operating room. 3 hours later, I had my sleeve converted to a brand new lap duodenal switch!
That first day was rough. I felt like death warmed over, but Dr. Ungson's nurse, Lourdes, came and took care of me like a mama. She walked with me, massaged my legs, changed my dressing, brought in a recliner for me to sleep in (because it's much more comfortable and easier to get in and out of), she even wiped my behind! Once she was ready to leave, she got my pain meds in order and tucked me in. She came each day to take personal care of me, just wonderful!
Dr. Ungson and his surgical assistant Dr. Ramero also came to see me each day to explain aftercare and patiently answer all my questions. I was also visited daily by Dr. Monjardin, head of CIMA's surgical unit as well as the hospital administrator.
My leak tests were just fine and three days later, Lourdes took me back to the hotel to continue recooperating. She's continued to visit me daily to check on me. The day before leaving I visited the office to have Dr. Ramero remove my stitches and drain. I received all my nutritional information as well.
Dr. Ungson's daughter, Marianna, was even nice enough to take me shopping for souvenirs after the appt. I must say, Dr. Ungson combines amazing competency with a personal touch; I'd recommend him and his team in a heartbeat.
3 of 4 people found this helpful
Dr Aceves, Dr Campos, and the Almater hospital were FANTASTIC!
My first impression of them all was that just seeing Dr Aceves, I had the feeling I could trust him. He was honest, open, and friendly. His moustache made me giggle. :)
My first impression of Dr Campos was that holy hell was he young... but he's not, he just looks it! He also had the VSG, and is VERY cute!! ;)
The staff at Almater hospital was great, except for a couple issues with some of the night nurses. And the hopsital was so CLEAN! Even during recovery, there was occasionally some of the cleaning crew coming into my room and asking if it was ok to clean out the sink or the bathroom or mop the floors... it was really comforting to see!
I think the only thing I didn't like much about it was that I didn't see too much of the doctors, but then they had 6-7 other patients to see along with me, so to be honest I understood. And any time I had a question or needed to talk to one of them, they made themselves available, so it worked out well!
After-care wasn't emphasized too much, but what Dr Aceves DID emphasize was the fact that this is a *tool* not a cure, and that there's a lot of hard work ahead in changing our behaviors and habbits. When you can only eat a fistful portion of food, you can eat the good stuff, or you can eat the bad stuff. And if you eat the bad stuff... well, no surgery is going to fix that. He was very clear on that, as well as all the risks and possible complications. Which, while it can be scary, is also good, because he made very sure we knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into!
Overall, I'd rate both Dr A and Dr C an A+, they were amazing, and I'm so grateful to them!!! Also, the Anesthesiologist there, I can't remember his name, but we met him our first day in Mexicali, was awesome. He was funny, patient, and explained EVERYTHING to do with that part of it as well. Also A+!!
As for the surgical competence and bedside manner... I do think both were great for all the doctors. I am so glad I did this!!!!
The only thing I could really say negative about the whole experience was possibly that the nurses didn't speak much english (and some none at all, almost). And a couple of the night orderly-type guys were... well, not the best.
Just as an example:I brought my own "pocket translater" aka my cuban-born sweetheart who's been speaking spanish longer than english... and even though he clearly and explicitly stated he was asking them to check the bathroom (because in the first day or two, they check your pee each time you go) so that *he* could go to the bathroom, the night guy apparently misunderstood and instead started pulling on my arms, getting me upright out of the first sound sleep I'd had, to try to pull me to the bathroom. Sadly, I wasn't able to get back to sleep, heh.
Oh, and one other thing, not really negative, but more a word of caution. If you bring a companion with you (I was the only one of us to have done so), make sure you request a room with a full couch if available. My poor honeybunny was stuck trying to cramp himself into the loveseat in the room I was given, while some of the other gals with no companions had full couches, or large chairs with leg rests. Poor guy! Haha!
1 person found this helpful
Dr. Aceves and all the staff at Mexicali Bariatric Center are top notch. I told them I felt more like a guest rather than a patient. They were there to make me feel as comfortable as possible. The hospital is small, but very nice and clean and modern. The nurses: Sergio, Lucy and Karen are angels, truly phenomenal people.
One of the things I was most impressed about was the pre-op screening. I did a urinalalysis, blood work, EKG and chest X-ray, all done by Lucy and all done in about 30 minutes. Then I met with the anesthesiolgist, then Dr. Aceves, then Yolana. She is awesome, too. I hope to go back down to Mexicali to visit, I feel like I made friends for a lifetime there.
My "black cloud" if you will, was I had nausea coming off of the spinal I had done. They were immediate with getting me medication to help that. I was scared I was going to break something inside me from dry heaving. Kinda funny to think about now.
If you have any questions or fears about traveling to Mexicali, please e-mail me, I will be glad to answer any questions.
Dr. Aceves was wonderful. His staff is awesome. Dr. A checked on me 3 times a day every day and gave me a hug when I left. I've had more experiences with doctors and surgeons than I care to think about, and Dr. A is by far one of the best I've encountered.
Dr. Campos, however, is my new favorite fellow on this planet! He was SO caring, and compassionate; he worried and fussed over me as much as my own mother would have.
The entire experience was very enlightening just to see how a medical procedure SHOULD be handled when done by experts who are caring and compassionate instead of ego-centric. These were some of the first physicians I've met who didn't have the mistaken belief that they were gods.
The ONLY negative thing I have to say is that the day shift nurses didn't empty my bedpan often enough. They wanted it to stay in the toilet so they could measure fluids but I was going more than there was room for! That was my only frustration the entire time I was there. When I rang for a nurse, I never had to wait more than 20 seconds - NO EXAGGERATION. The nurse's station was 4 feet from my door and Dr. Campos was sitting there every day from 8AM until at least 6 PM. Most of the nurses spoke good English; the doctors are FLUENT.
It was horribly hot when I was there (105) but they kept the hospital nice and cool. One time I felt a little warm and they brought me a fan right away. When I had problems connecting to the internet with my laptop, they brought down their IT guy and he had it up and running in less than 5 minutes.
Everything that they did, they explained in full detail so there were no surprises. I am SO glad that I opted to use Dr. Aceves where I could recuperate in a full hospital, instead of a hotel. I was monitored constantly - temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar - and any aches or pains were attended to immediately.
If I could go back and do it over again, there are only a few things I would change:
1) I would not have gone alone. When I was feeling really raw after surgery, it would have been so nice to have someone to wet a washrag so I could wipe my face, or to rub my tummy when it hurt. (What can I say? My mom spoiled me)
2) I took WAY too much stuff with me. I would take my smallest purse, my cellphone, my heating pad and a good book. NOTHING ELSE! I wore home the same clothes that I wore there, and I lived in their gowns the whole time. I had a bunch of needless stuff that was TOO HEAVY to fight with on the trip home.
3) I would have arranged for a 1st class seat for the way home. Coach is no way to travel when you've just had major surgery. I WAS smart enough to arrange for a wheelchair on all legs of my trip so at least I didn't have to hike miles across airports to change planes.
Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.
The entire staff was wonderful. Some of the nurses spoke very little english but knew enough to care for my needs. The doctors literally came in atleast twice per day to check on me. The doctor came to our hotel the night before to educate us. The hospital was small but very clean and modern. the driver was so sweet. I would recommend the surgeon and hospital to anyone
I had my original surgery on December 10, 2008 with Dr. Pompa Gonzales. It was supposed to be a VSG, but wasn't quite complete. I had no restriction and never really felt like a weight loss surgery patient. I dieted and exercised and lost 90 lbs. I have gained some back, but am now having a revision with Dr. Aceves.
Dr. Aceves performed my husband's VSG on November 7, 2009. I was impressed. At that time he was concerned about me and my ability to eat so much (6" Subway!) almost from the beginning. He took an x-ray and found out exactly why I felt like I did.
Now Dr. Aceves is fixing the problem on June 14, 2010. I'm hoping "three's a charm" for me. I'm 52 years old and this will be my third, and final, weight loss surgery.