Alberto Aceves Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Very good experience, will elaborate later. :-)

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!

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.

Very competent and professional. The staff was efficient and very helpful. Some of the nursing staff spoke little English but not a problem.

Excellent first impression.
Impression only improved over time.
His office staff was knowledgeable and very very helpful.
There was nothing I didn't like about Dr. Aceves.
He is friendly, caring and gifted.
His whole approach is about the after care. The surgery is the no brainer part, you have to be willing to put in the effort after, he makes that very clear and he insists you stay in touch with his staff on your recovery. Very important.
He is a 10 out of 10, would not change anything about him.
He is attentive and visits you in the hospital multiple times during your stay. He is the most competent of any surgeon I have known (having had a major surgery every year since 2001, I would know.)
Bedside manner was amazing, truely rare to have both the skills and bedside manner, what a giften surgeon.
I do not receive any payment or benefit for this endorsement. This is truly first hand experience talking.
If my experience seems unreal, fault me for being a positive person then, instead of trying to find something wrong with Dr. Aceves.

The Dr. Aceves plan. All inclusive, professionally orcastrated and in a hospital long enough for you to be already on the road to better health before you are set free!
Where else do you see all your doctors twice a day? Where else so you have a nurse per patient? Where else is your room cleaned and mopped twice a day?

Doctor Aveces was gentle showing genuine concern over the slight cough I had from being off my allergy meds for surgery. He was always patient with questions, questions he must have answered many times before. His manner remained constant my entire stay.

Doctor’s medical team was professional of course, but also fun. Sergio has the best smile in his voice and took it all in stride when as anesthesia took over I told him Sergio is an Italian name and I felt like I was in a spaghetti western ala Clint Eastwood. Doctor Campo – what can you say, he is the nutritionist, the counselor, aftercare expert. He did daily medication and incision follow up, he was there a.m. and p.m. for questions, and he removed my drain plus took a moment to rub my back to help with gas pains. He is definitely the serious member of the team but if you looked past his cooler presentation he was as caring about each patient as Dr Aceves. Nurse Karen – let me crush her hand and bury my head into her chest so my IV could be placed – she was the best.

The mechanics of scheduling and moving through surgery is so smoothly run it felt to me at times like an assembly line. I understand the need for detailed organization, and appreciated it; but I would have liked if the "pushers" were not quite so "slam-bam-thank you madam". No one asked or shared any personal tidbits, the little niceties that say "I see you as a person", not just a job number. Not to say anyone was impolite, just very business oriented when I was experiencing something very personal.

My surgery had zero complications – not so for my two co-patients on the schedule. One error was anesthesia related, did not affect the outcome of the surgery but definitely affected the quality of the experience for the patient. The other I am told, was doctor error and resulted in an extended hospitalization for the patient. Based on the doctors stats this was a real fluke – I know from observing the doctor with this second patient he was greatly upset and shaken over this.

My conclusion: I would still refer anyone seeking surgery to Dr Aceves and his team – I personally don’t think you could make a better choice.

The experience in Mexicali was everything that has been described on these and other boards. I have never received such good care in my life. Everyone in Mexicali was kind, thorough and helpful. I am six days post surgery and I feel pretty darn good.