Fernando Garcia Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I had a VSG (Vertical Sleeve) with Dr. Garcia on 11/30/12 through Ready4AChange. I was very satisfied with my experience and although I'm only 10 days post-op, so I can't speak to long-term results, I do feel that the procedure was done safely and my side effects have been very minimal.

My flight experienced some disruptions and I reached out to Alma who had Samuel, the very friendly driver, immediately change his plans to pick me up in the morning instead. They were so accommodating with the changes.

At the hospital, I received first rate service from the nurses, especially pre-op. I was nervous and they noticed, so they gave me some "happy drops" which helped calm me down quite quickly. I met with two lovely doctors who did physicals and ran an EKG. Then, I waited for surgery. I remember being wheeled into the OR and talking with the techs in there, but I do not remember being put under anesthesia. The next thing I knew, I was in the recovery room. I wanted to get up and walk but I was too nauseous, so they made me wait.

I made it back to my room and for the next two days was given quite good care by the nursing staff with periodic visits by Dr. Garcia and Dr. Luna. I was then discharged to two days at the hotel, which I found very relaxing.

Dr. Garcia has excellent bedside manner and is a very competent surgeon. I was concerned about GERD and fluid intake capabilities during tennis matches, so we went to a 36 fr bougie when the standard is 32 fr. Dr. Luna, the inpatient doctor, is fantastic and very attentive. I was inpatient in a US hospital about 7 years ago and my care level was crap compared to what I received in Tijuana.

MI Doctor hospital is small but clean. The wi-fi is blazing fast so bring your enabled devices. The Marriott is a wonderful hotel and the chicken broth is surprisingly delicious.

I had a great experience with Dr. Garcia, I hope you do too. Don't hesitate to PM me with any questions.

Update on 7/22/2013: I am down from 292# on the day of surgery to 179# (I'm almost 6' tall) and in just 235 days, my life has changed so much for the better. I had my annual physical and my health has dramatically improved. I continue to recommend Dr. Garcia highly.

Dr. Garcia was a wonderful surgeon. He spent time with me before the surgery going over what he would be doing and answering any questions I might have about the surgery. He was very friendly and his English was pretty good to very good. We didn't have much of a language barrier at all. The nurses were very friendly and competent although the language barrier was a problem from time to time and we did a lot of gesturing to figure things out. Dr. Garcia came in to check on me himself after surgery and also the day of my release. He made sure any questions I had were answered and that I was assured that my surgery had gone very well. He did emphasize that I needed to keep walking in order to get the gas out of my system and to help alleviate any pain I was having. He also made sure that I knew to follow the aftercare plan and that I had the phone numbers to contact them afterwards in case I had any questions once I got back to the US. I highly recommend Dr Garcia and the staff at Ready 4 A Change including Alma, Melissa, Rosie and Samuel. They are all so friendly and willing to answer your questions at a drop of a hat. I could call at almost any hour and get ahold of someone to answer my questions which was a big relief. Not only was Dr. Garcia a competent and worthy surgeon, but his bedside manner was bar none. I would recommend using Dr. Garcia and most definitely the staff at Ready 4 a Change to anyone. They are a wonderful company and I consider them friends now.

I'm glad I have my sleeve surgery with Dr. Garcia! I am now a little over two months post-op and down 60lbs. This surgery was the BEST decision I have ever made. Dr. Garcia was very personable, answered all my questions, and performed a excellent job. The hospital was very clean, small, and staff were very friendly. The only downside was that some nurses knew very little English but what do you expect. I was impressed by the constant care I received always got pain meds and something for nausea when needed or I felt uncomfortable. Overall it was a excellent decision. I received the best care their compared to my experiences I've had in the US. Thank you Dr. Garcia!

Words can't describe how happy I am The service, staff were beyond amazing. Dr Garcia is a fantastic choice for anyone considering sleeve. He was warm and friendly, took time to answer questions. 15 out of 10 5 stars! Thank you Dr Garcia!

Dr. Garcia performed my gastric sleeve laparoscopically in Tijuana, Mexico (Hospital Mi Doctor). I booked with aLighterMe and had a great experience, but Dr. Garica and I had a slight language barrier. Most of aLighterMe's staff helped my converse with the doctor but there was still a barrier between communication.

It's been several weeks since the operation and I've already lost 5 pounds per week.

I can go on and on raving greatthings about Ready for a Change, Dr. Garcia my surgeon, Alma over the phone coordinator, Melissa and Rosie Tijuana up close and in person coordinators, Samuel (our wonderful driver) all of the nurses and physicians onsite a MiDoctor facilities where I had my surgery on down to the Marriott where I rested. You all exceeded my family and I every expectation. All of you were nice, warm, sincere, positive, loving to us complete strangers. The best money I have ever spent for a gift to myself or anyone. If I could give you all trophies for the customer service, loving hearts and beautiful sweet spirits you all posess I would place a million bucks, and a million people inside the trophies so that they could all have the experience and life changing journey I have had thus far with you all! Thank you!

I have fought the fat fight pretty much my entire life and I have lost the battle in the past, but now I am winning. I am seven months post-op gastric sleeve and I feel great. This surgery was the best health decision I have ever made. Dr. Garcia is wonderful and a great surgeon. No more breathlessness, exhaustion, sleep apnea and joint pain. I can play with my 8 year old twins now!!!

I've been overweight all my life, and thanks to Dr. Fernando Garcia I've lost 90 pounds having undergone my gastric sleeve surgery on August 15, 2011. When I arrived at the hospital (Hospital Mi Doctor) in Tijuana, I was amazed at how clean and professional the staff was.

My personal experience in Tijuana exceeded my greatest expectations. From the time I arrived in San Diego I was treated with respect and dignity. Everything was taken care of for me. There was very little for me to worry about, which left me able to focus on my surgery.

I have a 70 more pounds to reach my goal, and now for the first time I believe I can. Thank You.

I underwent a lap band surgery on August 2006 (not with Dr. Garcia) and for one reason or another it didn't work for me. After some years it started to bother me and decided to look for a doctor to remove the band and maybe try another weight-loss procedure.
I can't explain how comfortable I was when I met him, he sounded and looked confident and explained all of my questions. We decided I would go for the lap band removal and a gastric bypass R & Y. He always kept it honest by telling me that if my stomach was too sored or he thought it would put me at a higher risk, we'd have to wait a few moths before the gastric bypass.
The lap-band left me with lots of adherences, so he had a hard time removing them and the band. Going for the bypass at that moment would have been too much surgery and risk for me, he decided not to do it. His facility and staff were the best, I have no complains, they treat you as if you were family.
I waited around 5 months and went for the bypass on December 9th,2011 just 12 days ago and I can't find words to describe how happy I am as of today. I have not taken any pain medication, i don't have pain, i'm not hungry, I haven't had any minor o mayor complication and I feel great, and as the spoiled person sometimes I am, I love that Dr. Garcia will take my calls anytime I have a question for him. I'm so glad he crossed into my path, give him, but most of all give YOU a chance to know him and learn how great he is and how he can help you change your life. I would trust my life into his hands over and over again.

i had surgery with dr. garcia on nov 1, 2011. initially, i was a bit apprehensive because there was not a whole lot of info available on this surgeon but all my pre-op questions were answered to my satisfaction and so i decided to go with him. from i landed in san diego the entire trip went smoothly - ricardo the driver/patient care coordinator (he's hilarious) was there promptly to take us across the border. my bf and i spent the first night in hotel ticuan and the room was very nice. he had dinner while i had a salad and the food looked and smelt delicious!

early the next morning ricardo drove us to mi doctor, a hospital (not a clinic) where i was processed very quickly and efficiently. some of the nurses speak very limited english but i was able to communicate fine and before long, i was meeting with dr. garcia and his surgical team and very soon thereafter i was sleeved! although my acid reflux flared up a bit from the pain meds i had no pain from my actual sleeve and had to convince the nurses that i really really didn't need any more pain meds lol. i will admit that the feeling from gas used to expand the stomach during the surgery was horrible those first few hours(even though expected) but i immediately started to feel better once i was up and walking. dr. garcia's team of doctors and nurses checked on me periodically during the course of my 2 night stay and were very attentive. in between resting, i watched satellite and used the internet from my room. my bf felt safe enough to explore the area and so he did a bit of shopping and even tried his luck at the hotel casino down the street.

dr. garcia updated my bf immediately after the surgery and even emailed my mom back in the bahamas to say that it had went well and i was resting comfortably.

after being discharged, i was given a care package and my bf and i went back to hotel ticuan and were out and about buying souvenirs that very same day. there is a pharmacy on the corner (its in a small department store) and i was able to get everything i needed there (extra gatorade and even little gifts). i was also visited at the hotel by the follow up care doctor (dr. ramos i think) who came to check that everything was alright and reminded me that he was accessible by phone or email if ever i had any questions. i have not had any complications and am down 31 lbs.

all in all a great experience and i would not hesitate to recommend dr. garcia to anyone considering vsg surgery in mexico.

additional reviews on dr. garcia are available on verticalsleevetalk.com