Andrea8967

Not to be rude, but everyone on this forum is aware of the ongoing discussion regarding Dr Kelly's former co-ordinators and himself. There is really nothing more to know. I'm not sure what kind of reassurance you're looking for other than the hundreds, possibly thousands, of former patients who post on this forum and GASTRIC SLEEVE regarding his professionalism, skill, bedside manner, etc. I just returned from being sleeved and I have no problems with my surgery. The pettiness that exists with his coordinators trying to sabatoge his practice is disgusting. His religion didn't pursuade me one way or the other. He is a very well-respected surgeon with alot of credentials. Perhaps the conversation you had with Dr. Kelly didn't convince you that he is the right surgeon for you. Go with your gut. There are several other very good surgeons that might be a better match. Don't stress about the conversation you had with him or the goofy Sandy (I had the same conversation with her). Google the other surgeons in Mexico and then check out what their patients say of them. That's the best referral of all. Hope this helps.

I was just at Florence Hospital and the room was extremely clean. It's an old hospital, but so is Mi Doctor. By the way, if you use Dr. Kelly you won't have your leak test done at Mi Doctor either. Dr. Kelly uses Hospital Angeles which appeared to be one of Mexico's newest hospitals. Surgery there would cost around 10K for use of the hospital alone. The leak test is done in a very sophisticated lab by an independent lab technician. So don't be misled. Read other peoples reviews on here and make your own decision.

I was sleeved on 1/18 and stayed in room #214 at Florence Hospital. The reason I'm mentioning the room number is because it the furthest room from the nurses station: and that's where I think most of the noise comes from. My husband slept in the hard-as-a-brick guest bed. That room also had a recliner when we were there. I was told that all the guest beds are equally uncomfortable. It's the price we pay to get this done. The only thing I can think of would be to bring an eggcrate mattress (you can find them online or at Steinmart pretty cheap) and don't open the bag until you get to the hospital. Otherwise you won't be able to fold it back small enough to get it to MX. Here's a thought: maybe one or two people could invest in the eggcrates then leave them with Trish or someone reliable for the next sleever. It will make a world of difference for anyone who has to sleep on that bed, trust me. The hospital bed by contrast was extremely comfortable.

Hi, I'm struggling to get in enough calories. I'm eating three meals a day and my protein is fine, but I can't get in more than around 350 calories. What did you eat that raised your caloric intake? Thanks!

My doc prescribed generic Prilosec and it comes in capsules. I had my surgery on 1/18 and I have no trouble at all swallowing any kind of capsule. The antibiotics were way bigger than these and I got them down just fine too.

Hi. I was sleeved the same day as you and I am having no major problems. I started eating cottage cheese and discovered I might be lactose intolerant, so I took a Lactaid and now I'm fine. I haven't thrown up once. As a matter of fact, because we eat such small amounts I feel like I'm eating all day now. I'm not over- stuffing myself: I stop when I feel full and then eat more when I feel like it again. I'm really enjoying the weight loss ( I'm down 20lbs) and looking forward to the weeks ahead. I never used to drink tea before but they served me peach tea at the hotel after my surgery and now I'm in love with it. I'm eating small punts of oatmeal , yogurt, cottage cheese and scrambled eggs. I never, ever feel nauseous. I hope you read some of the success stories on this forum and the other ones on Gastric Sleeve. Another resource would be Dr Alvarez. He's on twitter. Go to his website and look up his YouTube videos. He answers everyone's questions. Not just those of his own patients. You can also email him. Endobariatrics.com Keep us posted. I'm sure you're not the only one who feels this way. You'll be just fine!

I took a Lactaid pill along with my cottage cheese and no problem whatsoever. What a blessing.

Me too. I starting eating cottage cheese and got diarrhea almost immediately. I didn't realize the connection until 3 days later. I quit eating it and now I'm fine.

Hi, I didn't mean to imply that Dr. Garcia is not a good choice. In researching surgeons, his name didn't pop up as many times as the big three: Alvarez, Almanza and Ramos-Kelly. He's probably an excellent surgeon. I wanted to go to someone who had operated on hundreds of patients who came back and reported on this and other forums. And I found that with Dr. Kelly. I'm sure you'll be fine with Dr. Garcia. Did you look up his credentials, diploma's, where he studied, etc? If you're comfortable with him then he's a good fit. I'm sorry if I implied otherwise.

SirenSiren: So after all the info you've gleaned regarding the safety of Dr. Kelly, do you feel that you or I may be at risk? Or are you saying that something he may be doing or leaving out while operating is what's troubling you? If you wouldn't mind, I'd be happy to give you my email address so we can discuss further? I'm only interested at this point in my own safety. I'm only 1 week out. Thanks.

Can you share with us what you were able to verify regarding the safety of Dr. Kelly's patients? And how were you able to verify the truth? The way I look at it is this: surgery is ALWAYS risky. Alot of things go wrong here in the US as well as in MX. I took into consideration the number of procedures he did versus the number of incidents that we think we know about. I've heard of about 3. The death of that girl in June last year seems true, and then one of his coordinators told us about two other things. We have to research as much as we can and then hope to god we make an intelligent choice. I felt safe with Dr. Kelly because he doesn't perform 6 surgeries a day. His credentials, as far as I could tell, seemed on the up and up. I'm not defending him, I'm just saying that accidents happen. My friend is hobbling arroung for life because of a surgical mishap in one of the best hospitals in South Florida. Then sued the surgical team for malpractice using a top notch legal firm and lost his case. He can barely walk and can't even afford to take care of himself. It happens. I'm not arguing with you. But I also wouldn't switch from Dr. Kelly to Dr. Garcia. Based on what I've read and seen on these forums. Has your friend considered Dr. Alvarez??

I guess they must have changed since November. When I booked in late Dec. I wasn't given any options. That's why I was glad when I decided to book directly with Dr. Kelly.

If you go on the Gastric Sleeve Forum someone just returned from her surgery with Dr. Almanza and had quite a lot to say about the clinic, the noise at the recovery house and the amount of people packed in there. They had to leave and go to a hotel. I heard he's an excellent doctor. All things being equal, I just wanted my Tijuana experience to be fun, safe and productive. I had a great time.

SirenSiren: I just returned from Mexico on Sunday night after having my procedure done with Dr. Kelly. Two weeks prior to my surgery I received a phone call from Sandy at A Lighter Me who said she could not, in good conscience, refer any more patients to Dr. Kelly. That's quite a bomb to drop on a patient about to have surgery! Her conversation was very similiar to the one you heard only she told me he had knicked a couple of patients. Really? Where are these patients? Why hasn't anyone come forward to tell the story? If I had had a terrible experience after my surgery you can bet I'd be back on this forum to warn others. I wouldn't just sit idly by while he did damage to another patients. So I told her I needed time to digest what she was trying to tell me and asked for a refund, which I received the next day. I searched for and obtained Dr. Kelly's direct line and called him and re-scheduled my surgery directly with him. I am one week post-op and I couldn't be happier. Here's why: Dr. Kelly uses florence Hospital and the Lucerna Hotel. A Lighter Me books you at Mi hospital and Mi Pueblo Amigo. Two HUGE differences. Granted, the hospital is old, but it's clean and the nurses are kind, careful, clean and caring. Mi Pueblo Amigo is a smoke-filled stinky casino just over the border - and I mean immediately over. The Lucerna was wonderful. Clean rooms, excellent restaurant, very accommodating staff. Just a very nice experience. I met another forum pal who had her surgery just 2 hours prior to mine. We had rooms at the hospital and at the hotel across from each other. She is also doing extremely well post-op - we email each other three times a day. We came to the same conclusion when comparing notes: Dr. Kelly keeps his patients well hydrated for two and a half days. We were given four things in our IV's twice a day: a pain killer, an antibiotic and two other things I can't remember. Other docs do not. Patients complaining of nausea and pain are probably in that state because they did not receive the same treatment that we got from Dr. Kelly. He knows what he's doing. You can read these forums all day and all night, but you're going to wind up with the same conclusion: Dr. Kelly is one of the best. Even Dr. Alvarez doesn't keep his patients two days in the hospital I don't think. There are several youtube videos of his patients and I could be wrong, but I thought they showed the patients leaving after only 1 1/2 days. He's another doctor I'd go to though. Sandy tried to pursuade me to use Dr. Garcia or Dr. Zapata. Evidently she had a falling out with Dr. Kelly. I didn't ask him what happened, nor do I care. But it seems to be getting out of hand. Even my driver on the way home said he had heard about it. So take what A Lighter Me is telling you and just disregard it. The coordinators are very competitive. If you prefer to use a coordinator - I'd use Trish. My friend booked thru her and was very happy with her. I met her and she even assisted me. Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I'd be more than happy to answer them for you. Dr. Kelly is a true professional. I had zero pain, zero nausea and zero gas. Andrea

Well said. I can't think of anything to add to this.

Thank you to all who contributed to this list. I am going in for my surgery on 1/18 so this was extremely timely!!

I'm being sleeved on Jan 18th in Mexico then I'll have a 7 hr trip home. Any tips on how to make the flight a little more comfortable? Did anyone take Valium on the way home to help them sleep on the plane?

Holy cow. Well that makes me feel a whole lot better. Thank you for your reply. Did you have much pain or any problems once you returned home?

I just moved my surgery up one day to Jan 18th with Dr. Kelly. Anyone else being sleeved that day?

Jan 19th - Dr. Ramos Kelly. Can't wait!!!

I'm considering having my sleeve done in Mexico. Have many of you traveled with your spouses or did you make the trip alone? I would like the company and reassurance but I also don't want him to sit in a hotel room all day while I sleep. What was your experience?