Mexicali Bariatric Center Bariatric Center

Dr. Aceves and his team are absolutely WONDERFUL! I had an awesome experience at Mexicali Bariatric Center. I highly recommend Dr. A and his team!rnrnThe staff is wonderful. Dr. Campos is so funny! Everyone is very nice. The hospital was very clean and very pretty. The nurses were attentive.rnrnThere is a very structured aftercare program. I will be keeping in touch my e-mail every week for a while, then every month for a year. I have some videos to watch that were e-mailed to me that explain what to expect.rnrnDr. Campos talked to all of us the day prior to surgery so we would know what to expect and what to do. He is funny and had us all very much at ease. Dr. Aceves talked to us the day of surgery. He told us what to expect of him and what he expects from us. There were no surprises. rnrnI would rate Mexicali Bariatric Center 10/10.rnrnThe only problem I had was that the wifi was down. We couldn't get online! Waa.rnrnOh yeah, as far as cell phones: I have Verizon and was in and out of international roaming. I bought a phone card at the airport, but the hospital doesn't accept them. Communication was a little difficult but not impossible. Some of the others had different cell service, and their experiences varied.

Dr. Aceves is AMAZING! I have never met a surgeon in the states with that much class! His incredible first impression lasted all three days in the hospital. His office staff is just as wonderful. I was never alone or worried about a thing. I don't have anything I didn't like about Dr. Aceves. If you are a future patient, be prepared to be impressed. He was very clear about aftercare and I have received several emails already. You are send home with lots of reading material about how to care for your sleeve and all the information about your surgery including the surgery report and swallow x-rays to give to your primary care physician. He could have addressed the risks of surgery more and been more in detail about them. Overall he is excellent. Since I was out of surgery in 59 minutes and there were no leaks I will rate his surgical competence as better since bedside manner won't keep you alive.

My experience with Dr.U and his staff was wonderful! They were so helpful and caring. My husband and I felt at ease right off. DH had already said if we had any doubts when we got there, we would turn around and go home. Needless to say, we stayed! My surgery was a revision from a VBG done in 1984. Dr. U said it took a littlle longer because of scarring and adhesions. The hospital was clean and run very effeciently. I work for a major hospital in the Houston area and CIMA was comprable and in some ways better than where I work. The people at the Colonial Hotel were very helpful and curteous. rnThe only complaint was the concrete bed. DH went to Wallyworld and bought an egg crate! I slept in the recliner. I have had no complications at all. My PCP has been great about doing my followup exams and labs. If I had any questions, I could e-mail Dr.U and he would answer right away. This has been a great experience. I only wish I could have done it much sooner.rnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrn

Very polite and understanding, compassionate man, more first a humanitarian then a surgeon. Was concerned about my previous co-morbidities ie; 2 back surgeries leaving me using copious amounts of pain medications, concerned about how I could handle continuing with my pain management at least until my weight is gone along with the pain. He was upset that my husband had not eaten in over 12 hours and told him to get out the cafeteria and eat!!!rnThere is ABSOLUTELY noting I can express to the negative about my Doctor, he is an angel from heaven, along with is support staff Lucy, Sergio, Karen, Nina, and Yolanda.rnrnOf course, I was not awake during the surgical competence part, but since he has done well over 1000 of these surgeries, I am sure he is quite competent. His bedside manner was stupendeous!! He could truly have been a Latin Lover at one time (but not overly so, so don't worry hubbies!!!lol.rnrnI would rate him a 10++++.rnrnThe only observation I had was that there were no wash cloths either in the Hotel nor the Hospital, is this a cultural thing??? If I need to go back (perhaps stay in a hotel for fills I will surely take my own washcloths)

I am really impressed with Dr Ungson, he is very professional, knowledgable and very understanding on my needs and fears. He has answered every e-mail I have sent him within a day or 2 , and very honest answers.

Was banded 7/28 by Dr Aceves. I was very impressed with him & his staff. He had someone with me from pre-op until surgery the next day. I was also pleased that he does surgery in an actual hospital & not a surgery center. If something went wrong, I knew I would be taken care of. Everything was explained to me in terms that I could understand. His patient cordinators are also very helpful. I had a minor billing issue with the hotel & Dr Aceves sent me a check to resolve the error! I will be going back for my first fill 9//22.

My surgeon was wonderful.My first impression was that he was very knowledgeable. That impression did not change over time.he is very knowledgeable. His office staff are very compassionate and understanding. They also really know what they are doing.The thing I liked least was that they were so far away from where I live. When you use Mexicali Bariactrics and Dr Aceves you should prepare to be treated like royalty. You will have every need met, from the time you arrive till the time you leave. This was the best experience I could have hoped for. I wouldn't change a thing. For Me traveling to Mexico was the right decision.

ExcellentrnWas there from 7am until he said goodnite at 9:30pm. Was very thorough and explained everything in detail. Office staff were like family. You felt that you were the only one getting surgery. There was nothing I disliked -- it made a terrifying situation quite pleasant.rnrnSurgical competence & Bedside manner is 100%

Let's face it. Flying across the country, being driven to another country and being cut open is a huge leap of faith. To elect to go to a foreign country and have gastric bypass surgery is just plain scary. But like everything else in life, there's a path that led me to this place.rn<p>rnAfter having been told by my health insurance company repeatedly that gastric bypass surgery was a covered expense for me and that I met qualifications, I embarked on required preparations for surgery. This involved having many tests including a 2-day protocol stress test, a psychological evaluation, a respiratory analysis, endless bloodwork, among others. The co-pays, at $30 a pop, came to no small chunk of change when all was said and done.rn<p>rnThen, after two months of testing and waiting, the written \"authorization\" from the insurance company arrived in the mail. Gastric bypass surgery, even in the face of my debilitating diabetes and other comorbidities, was \"excluded.\" I staggered as I read the message, unable to comprehend what this page was saying. rn<p>rnAlthough I had been assured by United Health on no fewer than a dozen occasions, and although my surgeon's office had been told on 3 separate occasions that I was covered, what they were saying was clear: \"Just KIDDING!!\" There would be no payment for me to have this surgery. Sure, I had life-threatening comorbidities, but the message was (my words, not theirs,) \"Not our problem.\" Sure, they clearly told me on multiple occasions that everything would be covered. Again, \"Not our problem.\" I was at first incredulous. Why had not one \"Customer Care\" representative told me this, instead of the exact opposite??rn<p>rnI remember it all clearly. It was the day before New Year's Eve. I was devastated. I allowed myself the rest of the day to wallow in my grief.rn<p>rnThen, the next day I awoke thinking, \"No WAY are these clowns going to tell me I can't have this surgery.\" I turned my anger to productivity. I knew I could do this all on my own. I would have mortgaged my soul to do it.rn<p>rnBut no need for that kind of drama. I knew I'd go to Mexico to have it at an affordable price. After all, I had read on the bulletin board that I frequented, populated by many gastric bypass patients, that foreign countries, Mexico in particular, were the alternative for those shunted aside by US health insurance companies.rn<p>rnI started researching feverishly, and had it narrowed down to two. Both doctors had fans, and both had equivalent competence in the discipline. The reason I decided ultimately on Dr. Aceves was because of ease of travel. One doctor was in Monterrey, and flights from my nearest airport were limited and expensive. With Dr. Aceves, all I had to do was get a flight to San Diego and his driver would pick me up and deliver me to the hospital, where I'd have the tests on arrival day, then have the surgery the next. My surgery date was set for the same date I was to have had the surgery here. Being just 2 weeks away, it took some scrambling, but I made all the arrangements.rn<p>rnIt's patent that the adage my mom always said, \"All things happen for a reason\" is correct. Dr. Aceves is, quite plainly, the best doctor a patient could ever find, from any perspective.rn<p>rnThe flight went smoothly, and my husband met me in San Diego (he was away and flew in to accompany me down to Mexicali.) We met Ernesto, Dr. Aceves' affable driver, and we were off with one other couple.rn<p>rnWe arrived in Mexicali about an hour and a half later. I was shown to my room on the first floor of Almater Hospital, where I met with Yolanda, Dr. Aceves' in-house facilitator. She went over the papers with me, had me sign, and took my cashier's check (the surgery totaled $12,100 which was a $500 off special price during the month of January.)rn<p>rnThe tests were begun, with a nurse drawing blood. After all tests were completed, I had a friendly chat with the nurses at the station across from my room. While we were talking, a man approached from down the hall, whom I immediately recognized from his online pictures as Dr. Aceves.rn<p>rnHe seemed amazed that I spoke Spanish. We started to talk about that, and then he transitioned into discussing the surgery and my past medical history with me, putting me at ease. We discussed the risks inherent in this surgery. rn<p>rnHe was patient and at no time seemed rushed. This was an impression that never changed during the course of my stay at Almater. He would sit down in a chair in the room, next to the bed, and we'd talk about scuba diving (he's an enthusiast like my husband and me,) travel, his family, and all manner of interests. He even discussed medical lasers with my husband, who engineers them. Then, he'd ask about what was happening to me from a medical standpoint, answer my or my husband's questions, and tell me what came next.rn<p>rnWe were told to go out and enjoy a great meal, a phenomenon affectionately referred to by all us gastric bypass patients as \"The Last Supper.\" We went to an Italian restaurant that we could see from the hospital. The meal and service were fabulous.rn<p>rnThen it was time to go back to the hospital for the night. All rooms for Dr. Aceves' patients are private, and include a pull-out sleeping arrangements for the companion of your choice. So they helped get the bed ready for my husband and we slept very well.rn<p>rnThe following morning, they arrived at my room at around 9AM and wheeled me into surgery.rn<p>rnThat was the first time I met the internist who works in tandem with Dr. Aceves, Dr. Edgar Campos. He's a cordial, soft-spoken young man who has a reassuring way about him. We'd spend a lot of time with him, as it turned out, in the following days. I remember very little of my pre-surgical minutes in the operating room.rn<p>rnWhen I awoke, I was amazed at how little pain there was. Some discomfort, as would be expected, but I experienced so little pain that I just kept asking to get up and walking. I have no memory of it, but my husband says that a few hours later, I was up and off down the halls.rn<p>rnI did a lot of walking during that stay. My catheter came out later that night and my drain was removed on day 3. There was, however, repeated difficulty on stabilizing my blood sugars. I needed insulin injections for the first time in my life.rn<p>rnSo although Dr. Aceves and Dr. Campos were willing to release me to a hotel for the remaining 2 days of my stay, I elected to stay at the hospital so that I could be monitored more consistently. Dr. Aceves lets most patients not experiencing any unusual difficulties to spend a couple of days at a hotel where he checks on them twice a day. But he also allows the patient to stay hospitalized if that's how she feels most comfortable.rn<p>rnOn day 2 (I believe - memory is a little fuzzy) I was taken to the OR suite, where a vertical X-ray machine is kept to check for leaks. I dutifully swallowed the gross-tasting barium, and was X-rayed to show a leak-free gut. Woo-HOO!rn<p>rnOn day 3 my husband and I went out of the hospital and walked around the surrounding area. It was chilly and we returned after about a half hour.rn<p>rnWhen it was time to go, I said my good-byes with some sadness. I had made friends here, as well as memories that would last a lifetime.rn<p>rnA patient cannot do better than Dr. Aceves. He has called me twice since I came home, and Dr. Campos still calls me, about once a month to six weeks or so. Surgically, Dr. Aceves does an excellent job. My wounds have healed well and are small. rn<p>rnHe and Dr. Campos speak English, so there are no worries there. His staff speaks perfect English, including Yolanda, Nina, Gaby, and Monica. They are all exhaustively patient and solicitous. As far as bedside manner, Dr. Aceves and Dr. Campos could not possibly be better, because they are genuinely caring individuals and have much empathy for the situation and what the patient endures. rn<p>rnAs for aftercare, because I live more than 1000 miles from Mexicali, there could be no actual \"structured\" aftercare. However, on any occasion I have called (toll free number) or emailed with a question or concern, the office has been consistently responsive in a timely fashion. I was given the final X-ray for reference of my doctors here, and detailed post-op care and eating instructions.rn<p>rnWhereas it has been noted on this website that 100% positive reviews are \"suspect\" it would be a disservice for me to do anything but give a positive review of this nature. The hospital was immaculately clean, Dr. Aceves is the type of surgeon that should be teaching in the US to convey to the newest crop of surgeons coming out of medical school how to truly give medical CARE. In the US, that operative word seems to be missing all too frequently.rn<p>rnDr. Aceves and Dr. Campos are an unbeatable team from any perspective. We make many choices in the course of undergoing gastric bypass surgery. One could not, however, possibly choose to have a better experience for this life altering surgery than by choosing to have it done by Dr. Aceves.rnrn

I found Dr. Aceves and his staff very competent and professional. From the first interaction when the driver met me at the airport to the final discharge when the xrays and medical reports were given to me.rnThe night prior to surgery I had a meeting with another Dr. to review the lapband as being a tool. He brought the actual lapband with him so I could see & touch what was going to be implanted the next day. He reviewed diet. Met with Dr. Aceves and he emphasized the idea of the \"tool\" and the necessity of diet.rnrn