Jaime Ricardo Ramos Kelly Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

Dr Ramos-Kelly is a wonderful Surgeon.

Had surgery with him and his team at the Hospital Nova on 17 Oct 2013. Best of care. Amazingly thorough followup and great bedside care.
Leak test at Hospital Angeles, where the Dr. has an office, then two recovery and followup days at the nearby Hotel Lucerna.

To me, Dr Kelly was absolutely worth the extra money I paid over other surgeons. I have had no surgeons in the US that I have dealt with that had more care and concern for his patients than Dr Kelly.

I would heartily recommend him to anyone interested in VSG.

I recently had my VSG done by Dr Kelly on June 19, 2013, and I am completly satisfied with my choice in surgon and with my surgery. I am a critical care nurse, that being said we are usually a very controling group when it comes to the care that we recieve. I am very sure the nurses were happy to see me go lol as I woudn't let them do a lot of stuff, as I did it myself. I requested all my proceedure information and results (surgical note, blood work, CXR, etc) and recieved it before I left. I know that he recently swithced hospitals and is now working out of Hospital Nova. It is an older hospital but has everything that you would need if an emergancy were to occur. The nurses there did not speak english but generally there was someone there that could help you out with translations, and I also used my phone/tablet and used a ap for english to spanish translation which helped out tones.
I have recomended Dr Kelly to many of my friends as I find that he is an awesome surgon and does great work. He is a relaxed surgon which helps to ease any fears that you may have prior to your surgery. Yes going to Mexico is different, the care you recieve is the same!

I had my surgery with Dr. Kelly (allegedly) on March 14, 2013 at Oasis of Hope in Tijuana, Mexico. Do not use this surgeon if you are concerned about your aftercare or wish to receive copies of your actual medical reports.

Pros:
Nurses all attentive. Hospital clean. Doctor attentive during visit and good bedside manner.

Cons: Zero follow up or after care. Doctor will not answer phone calls or e-mails. Information supplied suggests that Dr. Kelly did not even perform my surgery but sub-contracted it out. I began asking for copies of my surgical report the day after surgery, and have asked via telephone and e-mail no less than 8 times with no response from the doctor. I am unable to get the necessary follow up care in the states from my PCP because this surgeon will not provide any report relative to the surgery or return calls or e-mails.

I must admit, his salespeople and facilitator were very attentive at the onset and through the surgery, but the remaining unanswered questions and the refusal/inability to provide the information necessary for appropriate after care would cause me not to recommend this surgeon to anyone.

Ok, I'm going to give every bit of my story in detail so grab a glass of water lol.

For those who would like the short version, the hospital was much better than expected (Florence/Oasis) with very nice rooms, there was an attending Dr there 24/7 and for Dr Kelly? You couldn't find a more talented, caring, warm surgeon anywhere. I was sleeved 11 day ago and post op have already lost 12lbs. Tijuana was amazing, forget the old notions of it being scary, it was awesome! Ok for the long version......

It all started around the first of March, 2013 when my friend (who just scheduled with Dr Kelly for May 16) mentioned you could get weight loss surgery in Tijuana for about 5k. I laughed so hard I almost spit out my drink and was like YAH RIGHT, I'll get right on that. After I went home I did a ton of research and a few days later I said, ok, if I'm still this heavy next year I will schedule the surgery, possibly in the states. I've been a medical professional for 15 years and had that old Tijuana reputation in my mind. After researching for hours, days on end I found Dr Kelly's profile. Hey, this guy is a member of FACS and the American Society for Bariatrics etc and had done a transplant surgery residency in the US. Really? 7,000 surgeries? Really? Well ok, I was impressed. $5500, REALLY? lol.......ok. I prayed and thought about it for a long time and looked at other surgeons. I read all the Dr Kelly gossip, about his unfortunate death and him leaving his coordinators behind. I can totally relate. I'm a midwife and deal with major complications that are not something I cause or can avoid. He operates on the most at risk population possible. Then I read that the bariatric surgery death rate was 1 in 400. I prayed about it and felt totally at peace. I looked at Dr Aceves and he seems wonderful also, but I just couldn't justify the extra $3,000 when Dr Kelly had as much as more experience........he just never split from his coordinators and had them drag him through the mud. One of the most respected midwives in this area lost a baby a few months ago, which of course tore her and the family a hole in their hearts that will never close. Thankfully we support talented midwives (she had taught and trained so many over the years) when something out of control happens, in MX I guess they drag you through the mud for years. In MX I'm sure that all Drs have deaths, there is no way that they have escaped the 1 in 400 statistic if they have done thousands of surgeries. It is just impossible. I talked to Lora a lot and even had Dr Kelly call me. I prayed some more and decided instead of waiting until I gained another 100 pounds in a year to just go ahead and go for it, so I scheduled for April 9th. I texted Lora constantly, she was always so sweet and helpful. She was a patient of Dr Kelly's also and doesn't get paid per patient, just a salary. I even tried to trick her once to see if she was really a coordinator and asked her if there were any other surgeons she might suggest. She said I had a lot of options but she had chosen Dr Kelly. I was relieved to know she really did just work for him (I'm a suspicious person lol).

The week before my scheduled surgery I started the pre-op diet. I had a higher BMI (50, 49.something at my actual surgery) so it was all liquids for me. Ugh.....terrible. Then on day 4 my husband developed pneumonia and my daughter caught the flu from him. Surgery cancelled. Lora was really nice and I rescheduled for April 22nd. Lucky me I got to do the preop diet again (I regained all the weight back from the 4 days before from pizza....i'm sick) and stuck to it the whole 7 days! I lost 11 lbs.

The day of surgery I picked my mom up super early and we headed for our 7 hours of flights to San Diego. I tried to buckle my seat belt and it wouldn't buckle. Oh my goodness. I had to ask the stewardess what to do and she discreetly handed me an extender. Nothing more reassuring you need WLS than not being able to fit into a pretty large seat belt on the plane. When I got to San Diego I received a text from Alina telling me Dr Kelly's wife would be there in about 10 minutes. I had to sit in the sunshine for 10 minutes, oh the horror. A gorgeous, sweet lady got out of a very nice 15 passenger van and introduced herself and grabbed my luggage. It was Dr Kelly's wife Cecy. On the way to the hospital she apologized for her English, it is ok. We communicated pretty well and she told me about the areas we were passing etc. It was neat. When I pulled up to the hospital I was impressed. From hearing about it I thought it might be a bit run down but it was very nice. I was taken to lab, xray, seen the attending Dr and the cardiologist all within about an hour. They took care of you but there was no waiting around until that was over. After that I was in my bed having a nervous breakdown and praying with my mom. I asked for something to calm me. They gave me something and it helped a little. When they came to get me the Anesthesiologist came in and introduced himself. Ooops........Dr Kelly had already been in twice. I forgot to mention that. He took his time and answered my zillion questions, what a kind caring man.

I got in the operating room and it looked much like the one I was in for my csections in the states. The anesthesiologist asked if I was ready and said slowly, ok ok bye bye and the next thing I realized I was waking up in my room. They had me in recovery for quite a while and I guess I was awake but it's all a blur. I was NAUSEOUS! I mean the kind of nausea you get when they twirl you in those things at the county fair that make you stick to your seat. They had given me a dose of Zofran already but it was awful. Dr Kelly ok'd it more often. Kudos to you that get up and walk. I couldn't because I would have fell over. I truly think it was a reaction to the anesthesia, I tend to be really sensitive to medications. It was the exact drugs they use in the states, (oh I checked) but people are different. I finally went to sleep and woke up about 11 hours later. This was the first time I asked for pain medicine. They gave it right away along with some Zofran. I had an IV with 5% dextrose so you won't get famished even though you aren't hungry. They don't use narcotic pain medicines unless you specifically really, really need them because you need to walk. I was given a strong IV NSAID and it worked lovely and controlled my pain. Yes, I was sore, I felt like someone punched me in the upper abdomen 100 times. The first day is definitely the hardest but you heal so quickly it is amazing. I've heard from some the nurses at Oasis speak English. Um, well, they speak enough to understand what you need and are very sweet but I met very few that were fluent. I used Google translate a few times with the free WiFi. There is an attending Dr there at all times and they all spoke English probably better than I do lol. Everyone went out of their way to be kind, and they cleaned the large room twice per day. My mother was very comfy with her twin size bed. She's about 5'2" and watching her lay there I figure someone 6ft or more would fit comfortably. It wasn't tiny and had drawers underneath. I also had a nice lil closet for my stuff. The hospital bedding is sooooooo warm and cozy, like a really thick comforter and all. Nice touch.

By day 2 I was feeling good and ready to roll! I met a lot of patients, all happy, except one who was happy with the surgery/hospital but was angry with the booking agent for switching/downgrading her hotel at the very last minute. I told her about booking directly with Lora and the Dr. By that time I was so ready for something to drink that I snuck about an ounce or two of apple juice. I'm just going to admit it, don't follow my mistakes. Alina stopped in with a very nice packet outlining your food each step of the way and which medicines (antibiotics, prilosec and pain) to take when. We went to Hospital Angeles because they have a new, super cool machine for leak tests that is better than the one at Florence/Oasis. It's definitely an upgrade you don't get unless you book with the Dr because otherwise it is the agencies taking care of your hospital arrangements etc and it is out of the Dr's hands. The stuff you drink tastes gross and Dr Kelly came running over with some juice for me so I could get the taste out of my mouth quickly. He is very thoughtful. We all took pics together in the lobby afterward.

Upon arrival at the Lucerna I was so excited. This isn't Hilton Nice, this is W nice. Huge hotel set up like Villas with a pool with a bridge over it, a courtyard with a fountain and fish etc. The broth was actually good, I was skeptical. We walked around the very safe area both days and felt like I was on vacation. I saw Dr Kelly everyday but the day I left (which is expected, seen him for 4 days). I rested and walked around, just had fun.

On the last day Cecy told me to be ready about 9am but our flight didn't leave until 1pm so I figured it was border issues. We actually flew through the medical lane and was in San Diego by 10am. She was taking my mom, a breast cancer survivor to the Cancer Survivor's Park as a surprise. How sweet. It is beautiful by the water. We stayed and then said our goodbyes at the airport and she told me she knew plastic surgeon's, dentists, etc and they drive from the airport multiple times per day so if I wanted to follow up with Dr Kelly and come back to TJ just let her know and she'd pick me up. They are very kind, warm people.

The flight home seemed like forever but it wasn't bad or painful. I'm 10 days post op today and have lost 22lbs already (11 preop and 11 post op). Oh, and the day I got to the Lucerna I weighed myself and I had gained back ALL the weight I lost preop. I kinda freaked but was told it was water. They were right! Don't fret.

I loved my experiences and wouldn't have changed it a bit! I've been blessed by God every step of the way, from finding and good surgeon and guiding his hands to healing me very quickly. I'm still paranoid about complications, but that is just me. So far, so awesome!

Feel free to PM me with any questions or just to say hi!!

Everyone wants to hear the negatives........so I'll have to come up with some. The traffic is TJ is nuts. Cecy is a good driver but I'm a horrible passenger and it is like NYC going 60mph. They test you for HIV at the hospital without your permission in your preop labs, as a medical professional in the states I thought this was crazy.....but I could really care less. I would bring extra juice in your suitcase, I brought gatorade bottles and the little 10 oz apple juicy juices because I wanted them for my room and didn't feel like walking to get them although I walked for everything else lol. I can't do artificial sweeteners so I brought my own Jello too, the kind you find on the regular shelves that doesn't melt when it is warm.. I think it is called Juicy Jels or something. That's all I can come up with lol.

My surgery was 4/4/13 with Dr Kelly, I had a wonderful experience! I initially delt with Lora Dr Kellys assistant who was great, she answered any questions promptly and proffesionally. My first contact with Dr Kelly was via telephone he spoke with me for 1 hr! and answered all my questions. My surgery was scheduled for a date that was best for me, I was picked up from the airport by Dr Kelly's lovely wife, she was so friendly, i went straight to the hospital oasis (which was very clean and comfortable) almost all of the nurses spoke english. Dr Kelly came to see me that evening and answered all of my questions. he was very accomodating I requested a sleeping pill as I did not think i would sleep! nothing was too much trouble. the day of surgery i went into the OR and before I knew it I was asleep! I woke up with a tiny amount of pain, but went off to sleep again and when I woke up it had gone. I had some problems with nausea & vomiting, but Dr Kelly fixed that by giving me IV anti-inflammatory meds. No problems after that. I was in the hospital for 2 days (the nurses were wonderful) Dr Kellys wife (cecy) took us to the hotel (lucerna lovely) and we settled in. close by is a lovely restaurant and we wandered over and I had my first taste of broth (it was delicious!) the next day Cecy took myself and my husband on a trip to the silver markets, I had so much energy I could have walked all day! cecy took us back to the hotel Dr Kelly had already checked on me and all was fine. the following day cecy took us to the airport and we came home. I am now 3 weeks post op, i have lost 20lbs and i have had no pain or nausea, I was so comfortable with my choice as Dr Kelly is such a kind caring man he put me totally at ease. I was a nurse in the UK so i am very critical and observant of hospital care and surgeons. I can't rate my experience high enough.. I would not hesitate to recommend Dr Kelly to anyone, I am so happy I chose him as my surgeon and he has enabled me to start living my life without my obsession with food.

Dr. Kelly is a very skilled and competent surgeon.He cares about all his patients and made sure all our needs were met.I was admitted on a Sunday evening and he was there to see me 20 minutes later to answer any questions I had about my VSG surgery the next day. His patient coordinator also came in that evening to see if we were doing OK and needed anything. He offered to take my friend out to eat so she wouldn't have to eat in the hospital cafeteria. She had already eaten in the cafeteria and the food was fine but he did take her and the other patients wife out to eat and enjoy the local restaurants for the next few days.
My surgery was Monday at 2 pm. All my blood test were done in the am along with a chest x ray and an EKG and visit from the cardiologist.My IV was started on the first try.All the hospital staff, doctors and nurses were excellent. On our wing of the hospital we had 2 nurses and a doctor on at all times. The 4 days I was there there were only us 2 patients on that wing.
Dr. Kelly was in twice a day to check on us.He always told us what to expect the next day and answered any questions I had. On day 3 we were discharged.We were given our discharge instructions and diet by Dr. Kelly's assistant and also meds to take with us and drinks and water for the hotel and then we were driven by Dr. Kelly's coordinator to another hospital to have our second leak test done( the first is done in the OR). Dr. Kelly met us there watched as our tests were done then it was off to our beautiful hotel where Dr. Kelly met us and made sure everything was taken care of. He then stayed and talked to all four of us for about an hour.He then came to check on us the next 2 days.On day 3 and 4 his coordinator drove us around and took us to dinner giving us a fantastic Tijuana experience. We patients of course were only allowed delicious broth. We were driven to the airport on our final day after this very positive experience.
I cannot say enough great things about Dr. Kelly. People who choose him have hit the 'best surgeon lottery'.He is a great surgeon and such a nice man. We had the opportunity to meet his wonderful family. His staff went above and beyond for us. We were treated like gold.
Negatives? I would have to dig very deep and say the liquid you have to drink for the leak test is horrible and that's it. But hey it's a very small amount.Anyone who chooses Dr. Kelly will not be disappointed.

My first impression of Dr.Kelly was good he was very attentive to my questions and i could tell he was very qualified.Trish his patient coordinator was awesome. And the office staff was very nice.Just know that the overall experience with Dr. Kelly was a great one.He came in and introduced hisself let me know what to expect and what was going to take place.Dr.Kelly is an excellent Dr.His bedside manner and surgical expertise was outstanding

I was sleeved by Dr. Kelly on 3/15/12. He made sure that he answered all of my questions, and that I was as comfortable as possible during my entire stay. My surgery was performed at the Oasis of Life hospital in Tijuana, and the nurses and staff there were very caring, and the hospital was very clean. I had very little nausesa, did not throw up at all, and six days after my surgery my incisions are well on their way to healing and I feel great. I think that if you are looking for a caring, extremely competent surgeon in Mexico, you are doing yourself a disservice if you do not consider Dr. Kelly. He truly does a great job, both as a surgeon and as a person.

Dr. Kelly is an awsome doctor not only did he care for me during my stay at the clinic he also took great care of me once i was discharged and got a pretty bad cold while staying the hotel. He really cares about his patients and what i really liked is he wants you to ask question about the procedures. I would recommend him to any one who wants to have him do there surgery. I just cant say thank you enough to him for his kindness and willingness to listen and answer all of my questions and the awsome job he did for me in my new start in life. You will not be dissatisfied with this doctor..... Rachelle Matte, Louisiana

Dr. Kelly was attentive, kind and gentle. He is above average in my opinion because of how he cares about his patients. His coordinator Trish was awesome! She made sure we had everything we needed, such as meds to come home, water, jello, etc. She even took us shopping in the little mexican shops downtown Tijuana.

My friend Joyce and I had the surgery on the same day. I'm glad she went with me, but I would have done it alone. The nurses in Florence Hospital were very attentive. Dr. Kelly ordered pain and gas meds on a schedule, he doesn't like his patients to be uncomfortable.

We were picked up at the San Diego airport and taken directly to the hospital. We were in the hospital 2 days and in the hotel 2 days. Dr. Kelly's program includes the hotel stay also. Trish took us to lunch (chicken broth) and shopping. We were picked up at the hotel and taken back to San Diego airport.

We had a 5 hour flight home. We did fine with no pain, but were a bit weak. Now 2 weeks later, no pain, no misery and healing fine and down 15 lbs since surgery.